Police Shoot And Kill Escaped Bengal Tiger In Atlanta Suburb

Police in the US state of Georgia has to go big game hunting earlier this month. The Georgia police shot and killed a Bengal tiger after the animal nearly made a meal of a homeowner’s dog authorities said. The wild ride began following 911 calls by at least two people who reported that they had seen the big cat lurking in the Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge at about 6 a.m. said police department captain Joey Smith.

No time to waste

The police then alerted animal control offers after spotting the tiger however there was no time to wait after the tiger suddenly tried to attack a dog in someone’s backyard. Captain Smith said this resulted in officers using force to put the tiger down. The tiger was shot and killed and so far, it is not known how the tiger came to be in the area.

Pet dog went nuts

The owner of the dog Ms Brittney Speck said her dog was going nuts in her backyard when she was awoken by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. Ms Speck said she caught a glimpse of the tiger which she said was full grown and was in her neighbour’s yard minutes before it attacked her dog. She adds that the police began firing rounds taking the tiger down and returning her dog to her in the aftermath.

First time for everything

Captain Smith who has 24 years of law enforcement experience said it was the first time he has ever had such an encounter whilst on the job. He added that over the years he had received some weird calls but this particular call was definitely unusual. Authorities added there were no reported injuries as a result of the incident.

Unable to locate tiger’s owner

Mark McKinnon a spokesperson for Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division said his agency is working with other state and local authorities to find the owner of the tiger. He said investigators are working on a number of active leads but so far have been unable to locate the individual. He added that there are no records of there ever having been an escaped Bengal tiger in Georgia.

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